A new side effect free asthma and hayfever treatment, which can be taken just once a day, could be on the market within three years.

The drug has been hailed as a potential breakthrough in the conditions, and could free many from having to take medication twice a day or suffering from problems ranging from stunted growth to drowsiness.

The company behind the drug has been given permission to test it for both conditions in clinical trials.

The scientists who developed the treatment said that it paves the way for it to potentially be available with three to four years.

The drug, called RPL554, has created excitement because it has been created by Sir David Jack, the former GlaxoSmithKline Research Director, who has invented some of the main treatments for asthma.

Because these currently include steroids, they can trigger side effects including limited growth, hormone problems, thinning skin or loss of voice.

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Experts believe that many asthma sufferers do not take their medication as often as they should because of the problems they can cause.

Hayfever treatments can include steroids, but also commonly use antihistamines, which can cause drowsiness.

The team behind the new treatments expect it to be at least as effective as the current medications, without the side effects.

It will also be able to be taken just once a day instead of the twice a day for many asthma treatments.

Clive Page, chairman of Verona Pharma, the company which has developed the drug, and professor of pharmacology at King's College London, said: "We are not saying that this is a cure, but we think it will work very well and remove many of the side effects sufferers currently face."

Leanne Male, from Asthma UK, said: 'There hasn't been much progress recently with alternative, effective and

practical treatment options for a wide range of people with asthma and hayfever. However, by combining anti-inflammatory properties and the

ability to overcome airway narrowing in a single long-lasting drug administered via the nose, RPL554 could offer real hope of a significant breakthrough.

'Research suggests that at least half of the 5.2 million people with asthma in the UK also have hayfever, which can increase the risk of

asthma attacks and emergency hospital admissions. Therefore we eagerly await the results of this first clinical trial in humans.'

An estimated 10 million people in Britain suffer from hay fever.

If the first round of clinical trials, due to end early next year, prove successful, the drug will be entered into a second round before potentially being developed commercially.